Plot summary
The Archer's Peak Saga
- (Something Is Killing the Children #1–15)
In Archer's Peak, a small town in Wisconsin, children begin to vanish and turn up dead, their bodies mutilated in horrific ways. Erica Slaughter, a mysterious woman with pale blond hair, big green eyes, and a small stuffed octopus, arrives in town, seeking a monster adults can't see. Erica is part of the Order of St. George, trained to locate and kill monsters, gifted with the ability to see the monsters into adulthood. While Erica is focused on saving the children, the Order of Saint George is far more interested in keeping their organization a secret, willing to kill the locals if need be.
While Erica succeeds in killing the monster and its spawn, she does so by defying the Order. Afterward, she chooses to abandon them and continue hunting monsters alone.
Me and My Monster
- (Something Is Killing the Children #16–20)
In a flashback arc, a young Erica nearly succeeds in killing a monster that killed her parents and friend until the Order shows up. Seeing promise in her, she is inducted into the House of Slaughter, the branch of the Order based in Chicago, Illinois. Erica's monster is sealed inside her stuffed octopus toy, Octo, which she will one day learn to use to hunt monsters.
The Tribulation Saga
- (Something Is Killing the Children #21–35)
Erica travels to Tribulation, New Mexico to hunt a shape-shifting monster, and the Order sends an assassin to hunt her. While Erica succeeds in killing the monster and her assassin, she fails to protect a child and loses her ability to see the monsters.
Development and publication history
In June 2019 Boom! Studios announced SIKTC as a five-issue limited horror series (with artist Werther Dell'Edera) to debut that September. [2] [3] Tynion later said the concept, about monsters that prey on children and the one hunter who can see them, had "been living in my head for a long, long time". [4] The announcement explained that the story was set in a small town (Archer's Peak, Wisconsin) beset by child deaths and disappearances, and a mysterious outsider, Erica Slaughter, who claims she can stop the killings. [5] [6]
Something Is Killing the Children #1 was released comic shops on September 4, 2019. Even before release, it had gone to second and third printings. [7] [8] By October 2019, Boom went to a fourth printing of issue #1. [9] The company's Sales & Marketing President Filip Sablik announced it was "the top-selling original series launch in our history". [10] The publisher upgraded the title from a limited series to an ongoing monthly book before issue #1 was in shops. [11] [12]
In June 2024 Tynion said that he and Dell'Edera plan to continue the series for many more issues, potentially even beyond a hundred. [13] That same year Tynion said that he hopes the success of SIKTC well help move the comics industry back towards more longform creator-owned series again, as he believes the longform serial is one of the greatest strengths of the American direct market. [14]
As part of the series' fifth anniversary, Boom announced SIKTC #0, [15] which explores the backstory of the mission Erica took before heading to Archer's Peak. Like the first issue, SIKTC #0 sold out at the distributor level. [16]
Spinoff titles
Something Is Killing the Children (SIKTC) spurred a franchise coined "the Slaughterverse." In May 2021, Boom Studios released the one-shot Enter the House of Slaughter as part of Free Comic Book Day, [17] functioning as an introduction to an upcoming series, House of Slaughter. [18] House of Slaughter was announced in mid-2021 and launched October 2021 and it explores the Order of St. George that forged Erica Slaughter into a monster hunter. [19] The first arc, "The Butcher's Mark," was written by Tynion alongside Tate Brombal with Dell'Edera co-plotting and Chris Shehan on art. It's told from the perspective of Erica's handler Aaron, who as a teenager was training at the House of Slaughter when he meets Jace Boucher, the sole survivor of the House of Butcher. [20]
Tynion explained that after SIKTC #5 he "knew there was an entire world of monsters and monster hunters outside of Erica Slaughter's story," so he called in Brombal and Shehan to "tell this exciting new story introducing everyone to the hunters Erica grew up alongside." [21]
House of Slaughter ran for thirty issues with the final issue coming out February 2025. [22] The series alternated between two ongoing storylines; odd numbered arcs (#1–5, #11–15, #21–25) were written by Tate Brombal and focused on Jace Bourcher, while even numbered arcs (#6–10, #16–20, #26–30) were written by Sam Johns and each arc focused on a different mask type. [23]
On December 28, 2022, the oversized one-shot Book of Slaughter #1 was published. This was the first in the Books of Slaughter series, [24] which focuses on Maxine Slaughter's journey in Europe. It was followed by Book of Butcher #1 on December 27, 2023, [25] and Book of Cutter #1 on January 29, 2025. [26]
Though the House of Slaughter and Books of Slaughter series have finished, Tynion has said that he and Dell'Edera have plans for more spinoffs.
The moment we started expanding the world, it became clear how big this world could become and we've barely scratched the surface. And the onus is on us to make sure that we don't push out too [much too] quickly, in too many different directions. But it was clear that through the House of Slaughter and then the larger mythology of the Order of St. George in North America that became the center of the House of Slaughter series. And we have a few more things cooking right now that are going to continue to expand the world.
At New York Comic Con 2025, a new spinoff was announced for 2026, Fall of the House of Slaughter. The title is a reference to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher". [28]
Art book
In December 2024, Boom Studios published The Art of Something Is Killing the Children. The book explored the creation of the seven arcs spanning issues #1–35 with creators Tynion and Dell'Edera interviewing each other throughout. It also contains a selection of covers and some of Tyion's scripts. [29] Editor Eric Harburn indicated in the art book's introduction that he wishes to do further volumes, a point which he later clarified and reiterated on BlueSky. [30]
Crossover
In October 2025, during New York Comic Con, it was announced that a crossover with DC Comics' Black Label imprint would be releasing in 2026, entitled Swamp Thing Is Killing the Children. Tynion is said to write the miniseries with Dell'Edera providing the art. [31]
Reception and sales
The first 20 issues of the comic book series sold over 2 million copies within the span of 2 years from its initial release in 2019 as announced by Boom! Studios' president of publishing and marketing—Filip Sablik at ComicsPRO's annual conference in 2022. [41] In June 2020, the series was nominated for Best New Series at the 2020 Eisner Awards, which was Tynion's first nomination. [33] [42]
Critics praised Tynion's writing and Dell'Edera's moody artwork, and trade collections began topping graphic-novel bestseller lists. Boom's Hunter Gorinson later noted that after launch Something Is Killing the Children Volume 1 was the second best-selling trade paperback of the year, [43] and that its Free Comic Book Day prelude (the "Enter the House of Slaughter" FCBD 2021 one-shot) highlighted that "nearly half a million copies" of the series had already sold. [44]
By mid-2024, Boom reported that all Something-related titles combined had sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide. [45] Boom noted at San Diego Comic-Con 2023 that House of Slaughter #1 was 2022's top-selling comic and that SIKTC Volume 1 was the second best-selling trade of the year. [46]
All 45 released issues of the comic book series including the one-shot issue #0 have gotten a positive review from the review aggregator website Comic Book Roundup, holding a strong average critic rating of 9.0 out of 10 for 263 reviews, and a slightly lower average user rating of 8.4 out of 10 for 914 reviews. [47]
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